Coin-controlled vending apparatus.



T. H. DUNCOMBE.

00m CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1909 Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

BY ,K/MIYI/ 9[y(( A TTORNEY Q'.

TYRRELL H. DUNOOMBE, OF ST.

THOMAS, ONTARIO, CANADA.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Application. filed February 17, 1909. Serial No. 478,479.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TYRRELL H. DUN- (.OMBE, of the city of St. Thomas, Province? of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain l new and useful ln'iproven'ients in Goin-Controlled Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to devise a simple coin controlled vending apparatus particularly adapted for the vending of con'nnodities in circular or approximately circular section. 4

I attain my object by a construction which l may be briefly described as follows. A containin f tube is slotted toward its lower end and tirough the slot work the arms of a star wheel. This star wheel is suitably journaled and is so proportioned thatwhen the machine is non-operative one pair of arms I will prevent any discharge from the tube, and so that when the wheel is rotated the lowest the articles to be vended will be alloweditlo escape and the next pair of arms I in rotation will pass below the article next above andj prevent its exit. Suitahle coin controlled mechanism is pIOVlClGd for lockingand releasing the star wheel.

Figure 1 iso longitudinal section of the machinedaken through the receptacle and. the delivery spout. Fig. 2 is a vertical sec tion taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the coin chute.

1n the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Ais the casing of the apparatus which is suitably shaped to contain and sup ort the mechanism, being referubly cyling-icul.

B is the rcceptae e for the commodity to be vcnded. This is preferably a las tube and extends up through the top 0 the easing to any convenient height. The lower end of the tube communicates with the tube G within the lower part of the casing' which tube is referably of metal. Below the lower end of the tube G is a curved guide D extended out through an opening in the easing to form the delivery spout or tray E. The tubeC is slotted at its lower end to permit of the arms I) of the star wheel F working through the tube to engage the commodity to be vended. The commodity to be vended is preferably substantially circular in section or of any shape in which onlr a small portion of the contiguous surface or adjacent articles are n contact. In the drawing I show u plurality of spherical articles K,

this form iving the greatest satisfaction. The star wieel has its arms 0 arrangzwl in pairs, as shown particularly in Fig. 2. This enables the arms towork in the lateral spawn. necessarily left on each side of the axis of the tube passing through the points of gun tact between the spherical article K. The star wheel is suitably journaled and is so proportioned that when the machine. is nonoperative one pair of arms will prevent any discharge from the tube C, and so that when the star wheel is rotated the articles to be vended will be allowed to escape one by one. The star wheel F thus forms the oscapement and l provide a mechanism by which this es rapement may be locked and the lock rt leased by coins inserted in the apparatus.

The weight of the articles to be vendrd tends to rotate the star wheel, but normally the uhecl is held from rotating by a trip lever (i suitably fulcrumed in the appai'at 11 This trip lever operates in a guide slot e formed in the plate 0 forming part of {hi' frame. This Q'ip lover so pro mr lmwl that it normally tends to n'iainlain lln' pus: tion shown in the drawings. 'l'ln' o!hur end of the lever lies below the open lower owl of the coin .ehutell. which is imbued shown and comnmnicatcs with the m n slot I. The coin chute it will be seen in formed by the guiding flanges which leave tho slot open at what may be termed its under side.

that is the right hand side as shown in Fig. l. The lower end of the coin rlmtc not being directly above the lever. very light or small coins will drop down without cmgagp ing the trip lever owing to the fact that the lower end of the chute is some distance above the hip lever, so that only coins of ap n-oxr mately full weight will overcome the frietion in the chute and acquire snllicient velocity to hitthe end of the trip lover.

The curved guide D is shut oil" from the compartment for the mechanism and the compartment for the receipt of the coins by the artitions e and f.

The tube B may be made of any length desired and its upper end is provided with a hinged on J for the insertion of the comniodity. to e vended. A suitable lock L will be provided for the cap.

IOU

The great certainty with which my inven' tion operates is due to two features resulting from the arrangement and construction. 1st. The airs of arms of the star wheel work in e lateral spaces between the artlehtiin the tnim owl run not therefore jam on th-w-se :utirhmr as they have no separating Itnnrtinns to till. kind it will he noted that the ends ot' the pliira-i elf arms are circumfercntiully separated by it spur-e 'Jreferuhly leer then, and in any (11m not greater than, the vertical dizuneter of the Lil'LlClUSbO be VUIltlQtl.

l roin the-1c two features it results that the whole Sitrllii of articles in the tube rest on the lowermost one of tho acries and it supported on the lowermost pair of arms in the tube, while the upper pair of arms in the tube are some distance below the points on tl1c surface of the article above them with which they will contact. when the said article becomes the lower-meet article in the tube. hen the lowermost article is released by the arms of the star wheel the whole column of articles will for a monientbe unsup-l ported then they will drop and settle in place with the former nexttothebottom ar ticle in osition on the ern'is which formcrl; were be 0w, but not in contact with it.

hat I claim as my invention is:-'-- 1. In vendin apparatus the combination hurt-r4, thus forming lateral spaces; it suitably rjoornulcd hull Whccl provided with :1 phi- ":llit'y oF pairs of arms. working through the slot in the tube and located and proportlUllvil to enter the lateral spaces between the aforesaid articles tench side of the axis l of the tube.

2. In vending apparatus; the coinhiimtion of n substantially vertical tube, slotted ncnr l it: lower eml tllh'l adopted to contain a phirzihty of articles, she ml to contact only at the central portion 0 their contiguonfl surfaces: thus forming lateral spaces; a suitably journaleil star wheel provided With a plumlit r ol' pairs of arms, working through the slot in the tube and located and proportioned i to enter the lateral spaces between the More suit. articles at each side 01'' the axis of the tube, the ends of the pairs of arms being evpiirntocl circumfcrentially by a. (list-(nice 1 less tlinn the vertical diameter of the articles 1 to be vended. Dated, St. Thomas, this 8th day of Feb ruary i909.

5 TYRRELL H. DUNCOMBE.

0f a substantia y vertical tube, slotted near its lower end and adapted to contain a-plurality of articles, sha ed to contact only at the central portion 0 their contiguous suri Signed in the presence of \VILLIAM L. VVIOKETT, i EDNA CAMPBELL. 

